Convert Tablespoons to Milliliters

One Tablespoon = 14.787 mL (US Standard)

A US tablespoon is defined as 14.7867648 mL (derived from the US gallon definition), derived from the US gallon. Most cookbooks and measurement guides round to 15 mL, and that 1.4% difference does not matter for cooking. But it matters for this converter, which uses the exact value.

The problem is that "tablespoon" means different things in different countries:

• US tablespoon: 14.79 mL
• Australian tablespoon: 20 mL (this is the outlier that trips people up)
• UK tablespoon: 15 mL (metric standard, close to US)
• Canadian tablespoon: 15 mL (metric standard)

If you are following an Australian recipe and measuring with US spoons, you are short by about 26% on every tablespoon measurement. This is the single most common tablespoon conversion error.

Baking Conversions People Search For

The relationship worth memorizing: 16 tablespoons = 1 cup, and 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon. From these two facts, you can derive any US cooking volume conversion.

Medicine: When a Tablespoon Is Not a Spoon

Liquid medications sometimes list dosages as "one tablespoon." Using an actual eating spoon from your drawer is a bad idea. Real tableware spoons range from about 6 to 20 mL depending on their design. The FDA has pushed manufacturers to include standardized dosing cups or syringes marked in milliliters rather than relying on household spoons for exactly this reason.

If a medication says "15 mL," use the provided measuring device. If it says "1 tablespoon" and you only have a milliliter syringe, draw 15 mL.

Why Recipes Still Use Tablespoons

Weight measurements (grams) are more accurate for baking. But tablespoons persist because they are convenient for small quantities of liquids and semi-solids: vanilla extract, olive oil, honey, soy sauce. Measuring 14.8 mL of vanilla on a kitchen scale is impractical. A tablespoon is faster and accurate enough for these ingredients, where small variations do not affect the outcome.